In case you forgot, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. And whether you’re excited or horrified by this looming holiday, today’s infographic gives us insight into what happy relationships can look like. We probably all know that disgustingly jovial couple — the kind that finishes each other’s sentences, has a seemingly never ending bank of stored up inside jokes, constant witty-banter battles, and completely appropriate, genuinely sweet shows of affection (not that dude who’s hand is permanently glued to his partner’s ass — more Lily and Marshalls please!)
The underlying message of today’s infographic is: happy individuals ultimately make up happy couples. The more positivity both people can bring to the relationship, the happier the couple will be. Unexpected compliments, flowers, shared adventures, and probing conversations are sure to grant you access to the elite group of happy couples. Criticism, close-mindedness, and sadly children (sixty-seven percent of of couples report experiencing a big drop in marital dissatisfaction after the birth of their first child) may leave you feeling a little unloved and under-appreciated.
At the end of the day the best relationships take maintenance and hard work. They can fall apart as quickly as they start — or worse become unfeeling and complacent.
Or just take the sage wisdom of Nick Hornby: â??It’s no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently or if your favorite films wouldn’t even speak to each other if they met at a party.â? [Via]